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Dodge Charger Headlight Bulbs Replacement Guide
How to remove the front bumper fascia & replace a burnt out headlight bulb in a 7th generation 2011 to 2014 Dodge Charger.

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2014 Charger Headlight
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Plastic Radiator Cover
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Pull Off Left Side Cover
This automotive maintenance tutorial was specifically written to assist owners of the seventh generation (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & possibly also the revised 2015) Dodge Charger sedan in taking off the front bumper fascia cover and changing a burnt out low beam, high beam, turn signal or side marker bulb in the headlight housings.

Owners of other Chrysler, Dodge and RAM vehicles such as the Town & Country, 300, 200, Avenger, Challenger, Journey, Dart, Durango, Grand Caravan, Ram C/V Tradesman and 1500 may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful.

The tools needed to remove the front bumper fascia cover and take off the headlight housings to access the bulbs include a flathead screwdriver, a 10mm socket an 8mm socket and a 7mm socket with a 1/4" drive ratcheting wrench.

Replacement headlight bulbs with their part numbers are as follows: Low Beam # H11, High Beam 9005, Front Turn Signal # 3157A or 3157NA and Front Side Marker # 168 or W5W.



 
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Metal Friction Fasteners
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Pull Off Right Side Cover
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Right Side Cover Removed
In this guide, I'll be detailing the process to change a bulb in the passenger side headlight assembly. The steps are the same for the driver side or if you'd like to drop the entire bumper and access every bulb on both sides.

The first two steps are to open the hood and then pull off the plastic covers at the front of the engine bay that cover the radiator and the tops of the headlight assemblies.

They are held in place by metal friction fasteners. Set the two covers aside in a safe place.

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Top 4 Fascia Fasteners
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Pry Out Center of Fastener
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Pull Out Entire Fastener
Then remove the four pop rivet fasteners on the top of the front bumper fascia cover.

First gently pry up the center piece of each fastener with a flathead screwdriver and then pull out the entire fastener.

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Top Bumper Cover Fasteners
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4 Pop Rivet Fasteners Removed
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Front Wheel Well Liner
Set the four fasteners aside in a safe place.

The move to the black plastic wheel well liner or "splash guard" in front of the tire.

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Pry Out Center of Fastener
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Pull Out Pop Rivet Fastener
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Pry Out Center Piece
Pry out the center part of the three pop rivets with a flathead screwdriver before removing the entire fastener.

There is one wheel well fastener near the middle of the tire and two others near the bottom of the fascia.

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Pull Out Bottom Fasteners
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3 Wheel Well Fasteners
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Pull Back Wheel Well Liner
Set the three wheel well liner fasteners aside with the other pop rivets.

To keep the fasteners organized, I'd recommend placing them in small plastic containers or plastic bags with labels.

Gently pull back the wheel well liner and locate the single bolt.

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Loosen 10mm Bolt
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10mm Screw Removed
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3 Pop Rivets & 10mm Screw
Loosen the screw behind the wheel well liner by turning it counterclockwise with a 10mm socket and ratcheting wrench.

Set the 10mm screw aside with the 3 plastic pop rivet fasteners for the wheel well liner.

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Underside of Bumper Cover
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Loosen 7mm Screw
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7mm Screw Removed
Then move to the underside of the bumper cover and remove the six screws by turning them counterclockwise with a 7mm socket and ratcheting wrench.
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Remove Other 7mm Screws
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Continue Along Bumper
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6th Screw Under Bumper
The six screws are located all along the outer edge from near one tire to the other tire.
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Six 7mm Screws Removed
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4 Wheel Well & 6 Under Bumper
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Driver Side Wheel Well
Since I was only planning on removing the passenger headlight assembly, this is where I stopped taking out fasteners.

I left the driver side of the fascia cover partially attached and just dropped the passenger side.

If you'd like to drop the entire front bumper cover, you'll need to pry out the three plastic pop rivet fasteners on the driver side wheel well liner and then pull it back to remove the 10mm bolt.

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10mm Screw On Driver Side
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Loosen Bumper Cover
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Gently Pull Off Front Fascia
You may want to set down a blanket to protect the underside of the bumper cover from being scratched.

Gently pull out the side edge of the fascia cover from the front corner of the vehicle.

Then carefully pull off the front bumper cover and rest it on the ground.

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8mm Socket & Wrench
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Lower Outer 8mm Screw
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Lower Inner 8mm Screw
The headlight housing is held in place to the vehicle by four 8mm screws with one located at each corner.

The red arrows in the two pictures above and one below mark the headlight assembly screw locations.

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Two Top 8mm Screws
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Headlight Screw Removed
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Removing Top Inner Screw
The headlight screws can be removed with an 8mm socket or a Torx T30 star bit screwdriver.

Loosen the screws by turning them counterclockwise with the 8mm socket and ratcheting wrench.

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Top Outer Screw Counterclockwise
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4 Headlight Screws Removed
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Fasteners Removed
Set the four screws aside in a safe place.
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Pull Out Passenger Headlight
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Turn Over Headlight Housing
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Twist Off Plastic Dust Cap
Gently pull the headlight assembly off the front of the car.

To protect the plastic lens on the headlight from being scratched, I'd recommend placing a towel on the top of the bumper.

Turn over the headlight and rest it on the bumper to access the bulbs.

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Low Beam Cover Removed
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Base of Low Beam Bulb
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1/4 Turn Counterclockwise
The Low Beam bulb is located near the outer edge of the headlight housing.

Twist off the round black plastic dust cap by rotating 1/4 turn in the counterclockwise direction.

Set the cover aside in a safe place.

Rotate the base of the old low beam bulb 1/4 turn counterclockwise and pull it straight out of the housing.

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Remove Old Low Beam
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Pry Back Retaining Clip
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Power Plug Disconnected
Gently pull back the retaining clips on the sides of the old bulb with a flathead screwdriver before sliding off the electrical connector.
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Philips H11 12V 55W
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Low Beam Bulb Socket
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Push On Electrical Connector
Try to avoid touching the glass part of the new halogen bulb with your fingers or anything grease in the engine bay.

If you do get the new bulb dirty, wipe it clean with an alcohol moistened paper towel.

Push the power plug straight on to the base of the new low beam bulb until it clicks securely in to place.

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Insert New H11 Low Beam
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1/4 Turn Clockwise - Lock
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Twist On Dust Cap Clockwise
Insert the new H11 bulb in to the housing and rotate it 1/4 turn clockwise to secure it in place.

Twist on the black plastic dust cap 1/4 turn in the clockwise direction.



 

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Twist Off High Beam Cap
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High Beam Cover Removed
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Base of Old High Beam
The High Beam bulb is located near the inner edge of the headlight housing.

Twist off the round black plastic dust cap 1/4 turn in the counterclockwise direction.

Set the cover aside in a safe place.

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1/4 Turn Counterclockwise
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Remove Old High Beam Bulb
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Gently Pry Back Retaining Clip
Rotate the base of the old high beam bulb 1/4 turn counterclockwise and pull it straight out of the housing.

Gently pry up the retaining clips on the electrical connector with a flathead screwdriver before sliding the plug straight off the base of the old bulb.

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Disconnect Power Plug
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Sylvania 9005 12V 60W
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Insert New 9005 Bulb
Try to avoid touching the glass part of the new high beam bulb with your fingers or anything greasy in the engine bay.

If you do get the bulb dirty, wipe it clean with a paper towel moistened with rubbing alcohol.

Insert the new # 9005 bulb in to the housing and rotate it 1/4 turn clockwise to secure it in place.

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1/4 Turn Clockwise - Lock
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Replace High Beam Dust Cap
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Turn Signal Bulb Socket
Twist on the black plastic dust cover 1/4 turn in the clockwise direction.

The Front Turn Signal light bulb is located at the bottom inner corner of the headlight assembly just below the high beam.

Rotate the black plastic turn signal bulb socket 1/4 turn counterclockwise before pulling it straight out of the housing.

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1/4 Turn Counterclockwise
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Pull Out Old # 3157A Bulb
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1/4 Turn Clockwise - Secure
Pull the old turn signal light bulb straight out of the socket and push in a new amber colored # 3157A or 3157NA bulb.

Re-insert the socket in to the housing and rotate it 1/4 turn clockwise to lock it in place.

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Front Side Marker Socket
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1/4 Turn Counterclockwise
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Pull Out Old # 168 Bulb
The Front Side Marker light bulb socket is located at the outer edge of the housing.

Rotate the small grey bulb socket 1/4 turn counterclockwise before pulling it straight out.

Pull the old bulb straight out of the socket and push in a new miniature wedge base # 168 or W5W bulb.

If you would like to have brighter side marker lights, install some compatible replacement 168 LED bulbs.

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1/4 Turn Clockwise - Lock
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Push On Headlight Assembly
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Re-Insert 8mm Bolts
Re-insert the side marker bulb socket in to the housing and rotate it 1/4 turn clockwise to secure it in place.

Carefully line up the headlight housing and push it back in to place on the front of the vehicle.

Spin in the two top 8mm screws a few turns in the clockwise direction by hand to hold the housing in place and to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

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Tighten 8mm Screw Clockwise
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Tighten Lower Outer Screw
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Tighten Upper Outer Screw
Re-insert the two lower screws and tighten all four screws in the clockwise direction with the 8mm socket and ratcheting wrench until they are snug.

Try to avoid over tightening the headlight screws to prevent from cracking the plastic mounting brackets.

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Tighten Upper Inner Screw
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Line Up Bumper Cover
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Push On Front Fascia Cover
Double check that the four headlight screws are tight before moving on to the next steps.

Lift the bumper cover and carefully push it back in to place on the front of the vehicle.

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Push On Side of Cover
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Pop Together Lower Edge
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Tighten 10mm Screw
Move to the sides of the fascia and carefully push them back in to place with the wheel well liners.

Re-insert the 10mm screw behind the wheel well liner and tighten it in the clockwise direction to hold the bumper cover in place.

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Replace Wheel Well Liner
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Push In Pop Rivet Fastener
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Push In Center Piece
Push the wheel well liner back in to place against the quarter panel and the fascia cover.

Re-insert the three plastic pop rivet fasteners and push in the center pieces to secure them in place.

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Replace 3rd Wheel Well Fastener
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Re-Insert 7mm Screws
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Tighten Clockwise Direction
Slide under the bumper cover and tighten the six 7mm screws in the clockwise direction.
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Tighten Other 7mm Screws
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Driver Side 10mm Screw
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Push In Top Plastic Fasteners
If you dropped the driver side of the bumper cover, replace the 10mm screw behind the wheel well liner and the three plastic fasteners that hold the liner in place.
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Pop In Center Pieces
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Four Pop Rivets Replaced
Move to the top of the bumper cover and re-insert the four plastic pop rivets.

Push down the inner center piece of each fastener to secure them in place.

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Metal Friction Fasteners
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Push On Radiator Cover
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Replace Right Side Cover
Push on the two trim panels over the top of the bumper cover.
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Two Covers Replaced
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Test New Low Beam Bulb
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Test High Beam Headlight
Test the new bulbs by turning on the headlights, activating the hazard lights and flashing the high beams.

Be sure to record the bulb change in your vehicle's service records.

For more, check out my other 2011-2014 Dodge Charger DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.
 

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